Service Regimental Number: K37161 (Army) / J86402 (Air Force)
Rank: Rifleman (Army) / Pilot Officer (Air Force)
Height/weight: 5'10'' / 152 lbs
Colour of eyes: hazel
Marital status: Single
Religion: Roman Catholic
Address: 355 Rosedale Ave., Winnipeg, Manitoba
Next of Kin (and relationship):Thomas Stewart Swinton (father)
Date of enlistment: December 7th, 1939 (Army) / March 7th,1942 (Air Force)
City and province of enlistment: Vancouver, British Columbia (Army) / Winnipeg, Manitoba (Air Force)
Essay
Before the War
Thomas Ross Swinton was one of many young Canadians who enlisted into military service during World War II. Before the war, however, Thomas lived in Winnipeg, Manitoba with his father, Thomas Stewart Swinton, at 355 Rosedale Avenue. Thomas attended Saint Paul’s College in Winnipeg and had work experience as a trapper in The Pas, Manitoba. Thomas was five feet and ten inches tall, weighed 152 pounds, had hazel eyes, and he never got married. By 1939, Thomas’ mother, Florence Kathleen Swinton, had passed away and he travelled to British Columbia to enlist in the Canadian Army (Service Record).
Thomas Ross Swinton's childhood home at 355 Rosedale Ave. in Winnipeg Manitoba (Picture from Google Maps)
The War
While in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1939, Thomas decided to enlist in the Army. On December 7th, 1939, he enlisted in the British Columbia Regiment as a Rifleman at age 18. His regimental number in the Army was K37161. After years without deployment, Thomas decided to instead enlist in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He was honourably discharged from the Army and was transferred to the RCAF. He enlisted in the Air Force on March 7th, 1942 at 21 years of age. His interviewer gave the recommendation that he become a pilot, after which Thomas was transferred to an Elementary Flying Training School (Service Record).
During the war, Britain had established the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, which was a program that was developed in order to provide the British Commonwealths with well-trained air forces. Thomas, having just enlisted in the RCAF, would have gone through this training program. The grueling training lasted eight weeks during which at least 50 hours were spent flying. Some of the most common trainer planes used were de Havilland Tiger Moths, Fleet Finches, and Fairchild Cornells. After this, successful trainees moved on to Service Flying Training School, which lasted 10 to 16 weeks and involved 75 to 100 hours of flight time ("The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan).
A RCAF Fairchild Cornell Trainer http://www.aerofiles.com/fairchild-cornell.jpg
After going through training, Thomas had reached the rank of Pilot Officer and began operating on missions based out of bases in Britain. This continued until mid-February of 1944 when Thomas was navigator on a routine mission over Europe along with a crew of six other men. Shortly after take-off, all contact with the flight was lost. The plane was never heard from again. Thomas and the rest of his crew were declared Missing-In-Action (MIA) on February 20th, 1944. Captured German intelligence stated that the plane crashed into a sandbar, resulting in almost no chance of there being any recoverable bodies or wreckage (Service Record). Shortly afterwards, one of the crews bodies was found in the Atlantic Ocean, but that is the only thing that was recovered from the plane. Thomas’ body was never found and his date of death is officially February 20th, 1944, meaning he was only 23 years of age ("7 Manitoba Casualties"). During this time of the war, the D-Day offensive had not yet occurred, meaning that the tide of the war had not yet been turned on Germany who still owned almost all of Europe.
Thomas Ross Swinton is reported MIA in The Winnipeg Tribune
Lest We Forget
Thomas Ross Swinton is among the over 20,000 commonwealth airmen to be remembered in the Runnymede Memorial in Surrey, England. He is remembered along with the rest of his crew on Panel 253 ("Runnymede Memorial"). He is also remembered in Huisduinen Cemetery in Noord Holland in the Netherlands at Grave 219 on a commemorative plaque along with the rest of his crew (Service Record). He is remembered as well in the 1944 Book of Remembrance on page 457 ("1944 Book of Remembrance").
Interestingly, his age at the time of his death is inconsistent in his records, meaning there is a possibility that he was only 16 when he enlisted and that he lied about his age in order to get into the military. If this is the case, it means that he died at only 21 years of age, leaving his father as the last surviving member of his close family and a stark reminder of the ultimate sacrifice that our soldiers make in order to protect our way of life.
Military Service Record
Age (at death): 23 (possibly 21)
Force: Canadian Army / Royal Canadian Air Force
Unit: British Columbia Regiment / RAF 77th Squadron
Service Number: K37161 / J86402
Honours and Awards: 39-45 Star, Defense Medal, Canadian Volunteer Service Medal
Next of Kin (and relationship): Thomas Stewart Swinton (father)
Date of Death: February 20th, 1944
Country of Burial: Netherlands / United Kingdom
Cemetery: Huisduinen Cemetery / Runnymede Memorial
Grave Reference: Grave 219 / Panel 253
Location: Noord Holland, Netherlands / Surrey, England
Book of Remembrance: 1944 page 457
1944 Book of Remembrance Page 457. Thomas Ross Swinton is twelfth from the bottom on the left.
"1944 Book of Remembrance Page 457." Veteran Affairs Canada. Government of
Canada, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2012. <http://www.veterans.gc.ca/images/
collections/books/bww2/ww2457.jpg>. Contains the page number in the book
of remembrance that each service person is found on. Also contains a
picture of each page.
"The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan." Veteran Affairs Canada. Government
of Canada, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. <http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/
history/secondWar/bcatp/page5#demand>. Contained information regarding
training that Air Force recruits would have had to go through.
Canada. Royal Canadian Air Force. Service Record of Swinton, Thomas Ross. N.p.:
n.p., n.d. Print. Contained a photo, enlistment forms, medical
examinations, transfer forms, death certificate, and many other military
records.
"Runnymede Memorial." Commonwealth War Graves Commission. N.p., n.d. Web. 23
Apr. 2012. <http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/109600/
RUNNYMEDE%20MEMORIAL>. Contained information regarding service persons
and grave locations.
"Second World War Service Files: Canadian Armed Forces War Dead." Library and Archives Canada. Government of Canada, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. <http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/war-dead/
001056-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=34769&interval=20&&PHPSESSID=g5i8p3qs1du3tllp5dpbgecs
s0>. Contained information including parents, place of birth, service
number, rank, date of birth, date of death, etc.
"7 Manitoba Casualties." The Winnipeg Tribune 27 Mar. 1944: n. pag. Manitobia. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. <http://manitobia.ca/content/en/ newspapers/WPT/1944/03/27/articles/31.xml/
iarchives?query=Thomas%2BAND%2BRoss%2BAND%2BSwinton%2BAND%2Bdoctype%3Anewspapers>.
Contained articles from Manitoba newspapers that include casualty listings.
Thomas Ross Swinton
Pilot Officer J86402 77th Squadron Royal Canadian Air Force
Service Personnel Information | Essay | Military Service Record | Grave Reference | Additional information/links | Bibliography | Archival Reference | Internet Sites
Service Personnel Information
http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/images/77sqncrst.gif
Essay
Before the War
Thomas Ross Swinton was one of many young Canadians who enlisted into military service during World War II. Before the war, however, Thomas lived in Winnipeg, Manitoba with his father, Thomas Stewart Swinton, at 355 Rosedale Avenue. Thomas attended Saint Paul’s College in Winnipeg and had work experience as a trapper in The Pas, Manitoba. Thomas was five feet and ten inches tall, weighed 152 pounds, had hazel eyes, and he never got married. By 1939, Thomas’ mother, Florence Kathleen Swinton, had passed away and he travelled to British Columbia to enlist in the Canadian Army (Service Record).
The War
While in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1939, Thomas decided to enlist in the Army. On December 7th, 1939, he enlisted in the British Columbia Regiment as a Rifleman at age 18. His regimental number in the Army was K37161. After years without deployment, Thomas decided to instead enlist in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He was honourably discharged from the Army and was transferred to the RCAF. He enlisted in the Air Force on March 7th, 1942 at 21 years of age. His interviewer gave the recommendation that he become a pilot, after which Thomas was transferred to an Elementary Flying Training School (Service Record).
During the war, Britain had established the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, which was a program that was developed in order to provide the British Commonwealths with well-trained air forces. Thomas, having just enlisted in the RCAF, would have gone through this training program. The grueling training lasted eight weeks during which at least 50 hours were spent flying. Some of the most common trainer planes used were de Havilland Tiger Moths, Fleet Finches, and Fairchild Cornells. After this, successful trainees moved on to Service Flying Training School, which lasted 10 to 16 weeks and involved 75 to 100 hours of flight time ("The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan).
After going through training, Thomas had reached the rank of Pilot Officer and began operating on missions based out of bases in Britain. This continued until mid-February of 1944 when Thomas was navigator on a routine mission over Europe along with a crew of six other men. Shortly after take-off, all contact with the flight was lost. The plane was never heard from again. Thomas and the rest of his crew were declared Missing-In-Action (MIA) on February 20th, 1944. Captured German intelligence stated that the plane crashed into a sandbar, resulting in almost no chance of there being any recoverable bodies or wreckage (Service Record). Shortly afterwards, one of the crews bodies was found in the Atlantic Ocean, but that is the only thing that was recovered from the plane. Thomas’ body was never found and his date of death is officially February 20th, 1944, meaning he was only 23 years of age ("7 Manitoba Casualties"). During this time of the war, the D-Day offensive had not yet occurred, meaning that the tide of the war had not yet been turned on Germany who still owned almost all of Europe.
Lest We Forget
Thomas Ross Swinton is among the over 20,000 commonwealth airmen to be remembered in the Runnymede Memorial in Surrey, England. He is remembered along with the rest of his crew on Panel 253 ("Runnymede Memorial"). He is also remembered in Huisduinen Cemetery in Noord Holland in the Netherlands at Grave 219 on a commemorative plaque along with the rest of his crew (Service Record). He is remembered as well in the 1944 Book of Remembrance on page 457 ("1944 Book of Remembrance").
Interestingly, his age at the time of his death is inconsistent in his records, meaning there is a possibility that he was only 16 when he enlisted and that he lied about his age in order to get into the military. If this is the case, it means that he died at only 21 years of age, leaving his father as the last surviving member of his close family and a stark reminder of the ultimate sacrifice that our soldiers make in order to protect our way of life.
Military Service Record
Grave Reference
Commemorates by name over 20,000 airmen who lost their lives during missions from bases located in Europe and who have no known grave.
Additional information/links
Bibliography
Canada, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2012. <http://www.veterans.gc.ca/images/
collections/books/bww2/ww2457.jpg>. Contains the page number in the book
of remembrance that each service person is found on. Also contains a
picture of each page.
of Canada, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. <http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/
history/secondWar/bcatp/page5#demand>. Contained information regarding
training that Air Force recruits would have had to go through.
n.p., n.d. Print. Contained a photo, enlistment forms, medical
examinations, transfer forms, death certificate, and many other military
records.
Apr. 2012. <http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/109600/
RUNNYMEDE%20MEMORIAL>. Contained information regarding service persons
and grave locations.
Archives Canada. Government of Canada, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. <http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/war-dead/
001056-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=34769&interval=20&&PHPSESSID=g5i8p3qs1du3tllp5dpbgecs
s0>. Contained information including parents, place of birth, service
number, rank, date of birth, date of death, etc.
Manitobia. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. <http://manitobia.ca/content/en/ newspapers/WPT/1944/03/27/articles/31.xml/
iarchives?query=Thomas%2BAND%2BRoss%2BAND%2BSwinton%2BAND%2Bdoctype%3Anewspapers>.
Contained articles from Manitoba newspapers that include casualty listings.
Archival Reference
Internet Sites
example from LAC